Top 5 Beginner Fountain Pens (and Top 3 for the Risk-takers!)

So, you want to try out a fountain pen, or two...

The single most common question we get from intrigued fountain pen newbies is "which is the best, first fountain pen?" -- and this post should help narrow that down for you. 

As you venture into the fountain pen world, you'll soon notice that much of the appeal of these pens is how personal they can be; my idea of a perfect pen might have a fine nib and a moderate weight, while yours might have a medium nib and be as light as a feather. The point is, with fountain pens, there are many options, and within each pen, you'll find even more options.

The following are 5 of our best recommendations for your first fountain pen, including features, specifications, and thoughts on each pen. I suggest purchasing finer nibs if you are used to writing with 0.5 - 0.7 mm tips, as the transition may be easier. If you're feeling risky and want to try flex writing or calligraphy, scroll down to find three additional pens that are sure to bring excitement to your writing.

For Normal Writing:

1. Pilot Metropolitan

• Cost: $14.95
• Nib Sizes: fine, medium
• Grip: round
• Overall Weight: 26g
• Filling Method: proprietary Pilot cartridge and con-20 converter included
• Durability: metal, very durable (unlike thin plastic which may crack under large amounts of pressure)
• Colors: comes in many colors, including classic, animal and retro pop styles.

The Pilot Metropolitan has quickly become the top recommendation for newbies. It’s a great value, smooth-writing fine nib, round grip, average weight, and strong durability makes the pen suited for the majority of new users. Two thing to look out for: 1) Pilot nibs are proprietary, meaning only Pilot cartridges and converters will fit into Pilot pens and 2) you can’t see the ink level in the con-20 converter, so you won’t know exactly when you are out of ink until the pen stops writing. If this bothers you, Pilot offers the transparent con-50 converter as a substitute.

2. Lamy Safari

• Cost: $29.95
• Nib Sizes: EF, F, M, B, 1.1mm, 1.5mm, 1.9mm
• Grip: triangular
• Overall Weight: 17g
• Filling Method: proprietary Lamy cartridge included. LZ24 Converter sold separately.
• Durability: made of extremely durable ABS plastic
• Colors: comes in many colors (can upgrade to Al-Star)
• Ink window

The Lamy Safari is long considered a staple in the fountain pen world. It is a great value, with a nib known for being smooth, but with feedback (not glossy smooth, but enough to let you know the nib is touching the paper). The barrel of the Safari is made of ABS plastic, the material used to make the famous Lego toys, which can withstand large amounts of pressure -- making the Safari extremely durable. Many beginners choose this pen because later on, you can try out one of the many other nib sizes (ranging from EF to 1.9mm), which is always fun.

3. Kaweco Sport

• Cost: $25.00

• Nib Sizes: F, M, B (also, EF, BB, 1.5 mm, 1.9 mm, 2.3 mm)
• Grip: round, good for all people
• Overall Weight: 10g
• Filling Method: standard international cartridges, can buy separate Kaweco Sport squeeze converter
• Durability: durable plastic, perfect for pocket, workhorse
• Colors: comes in many colors (can upgrade to AL, etc.)

4. Nemosine Singularity

• Cost: $19.95

• Nib Sizes: EF, F, M, B, 0.6mm, 0.8mm
• Grip: normal, round, good for all people
• Overall Weight: 17g
• Filling Method: standard international cartridges and converters (comes with)
• Durability: strong plastic, should withstand pressure
• Colors: comes in many colors, including clear/blue/purple tinted demonstrators
• Demonstrator looks cool, can see ink

5. Platinum Preppy

• Cost: $3.95 - 4.95
• Nib Sizes: EF (02) highly recommend for people who like very thin lines, F (03)
• Grip: normal, round
• Overall Weight: 13g
• Filling Method: platinum cartridge (or buy separate converter but costs more than pen), eyedropper (but beware of cracking)
• Durability: can crack if dropped hard or stepped on
• Colors: 7 different colors, can come in pack too

Top 3 Beginner Pens for Risk Takers

1. Noodler’s Konrad

• Cost: $20 for most, $40 for acrylic materials
• Nib: Fine/Medium Flex (can buy replacement nibs, some flex and some not)
• Overall Weight: 13g
• Filling Method: piston filler (recommended over the ahab for this reason)
• Durability: relatively durable plastic
• Colors: many
• For the tinkerer, and for those interested in flex nibs (beginners)

2. Pilot Parallel

• Cost: $10, $26.95 for all four
• Nib Sizes: 1.5mm, 2.4mm, 3.8mm, 6.0mm
• Overall Weight: 10g
• Filling Method: pilot cartridge (con-50 converter can be used, sold separately)
• Durability: relatively durable plastic
• Colors: four colors, corresponding with nib
• For those interested in calligraphy, must get used to nib to use it well, can do color gradient, check out @seblester

3. Lamy Joy

• Cost: $27.95 - 35.95 (for AL)
• Nib Sizes: 1.5mm (fine), 1.5mm (medium), 1.9mm (broad)
• Grip: triangular (not suitable for people without “normal grip”)
• Overall Weight: 17g
• Filling Method: comes with cartridge, but must buy separate converter (can see ink level), proprietary to Lamy
• Durability: made of extremely durable ABS plastic (what legos are made of)
• Colors: three colors

A Guided Tour of Modern Fountain Pens

Getting into fountain pens can feel like you've fallen down the rabbit hole. It's exciting to discover a world exists that flies in the face of modern technology. It's as if you've grown up your entire life shopping at Barnes & Noble and then realized that libraries existed - and that people still go to them!

If handwritten posts on social media have your interest piqued, then this post is what you need to read to start your quick-and-dirty education.

To the uninitiated, fountain pens seem alluring, yet the aspect of getting started with them can be daunting. Many of the questions we get from beginners : What pen to start with? How much should I have to pay to get a good quality fountain pen? Which pen is going to be the best value for the money? What nib size should I choose?

As with many of the purchases that we make these days, one can spend days on fountain pen research. An abundance of information exists in the forms of videos, reviews, forum posts and so on. There's so much information that many first-timers hesitate to commit. Some call it "paralysis by analysis."

Lets make it simple by giving you a guided tour of what you need to know when selecting your next fountain pen.

Consider us your sherpa on this expedition. Goldspot has sold pens online since 1999 when we started out listing Sensa and rOtring pens on eBay. I'm being modest when I say that we know a thing or two about pens. We also rely heavily on the feedback of our customers and the fountain pen community to validate our pen suggestions.

Before window shopping (and getting distracted by the bright and shiny's, ask yourself these questions :

• What am I using the fountain pen for?
• What do I usually like to write with?
• What is my budget?

These questions are important to ask because it is easy to get sidetracked by all the flex nibs, gold nibs, piston-fillers and limited editions. If you are using the fountain pen for detailed note-taking and your hand writing is quite small, a large, music nib isn't suitable for your needs. Taking into consideration the pens you already enjoy using will give you a basis for comparison to find a fountain pen that will satisfy your requirements for size, weight and grip. Lastly, setting a budget may prevent the unpleasant conversation you will have with your significant other regarding the credit card bill.

For true beginners that are looking to inexpensively try out using a fountain pen for the first time, we've put together a list of our best fountain pens for beginners. View List >>

If you like one of the pens on this list, but are curious to see if comes in different colors or point sizes, click on the related items links at the bottom of the product detail page. In the example below, if you want to look at ALL the Pilot Metropolitan Retro Pop pens, colors and point sizes, you would click on the link that reads Metropolitan Retro Pop.

"look for similar items"

You don't have to be a master penman like Jake Weidmann to enjoy a good calligraphic fountain pen. Fountain pens with calligraphic or stub nibs can be fun to write with as an everyday pen. Go for smaller point sizes (like 0.8mm) for note-taking. The popular Pilot Parallel is an excellent choice to get started inexpensively. View List >>

Want to keep on writing for a long time without having to go back for a fill-up? Piston-Filling fountain pens provide a higher ink capacity than traditional cartridge converter fountain pens and fill from bottled ink exclusively. View List >>

It's easy to spend one's fountain pen kitty quickly. Hey, we know not everyone can afford to spend a car payment on one fountain pen. That's why we created several tiers to accommodate your budget.

• Fountain Pens Under $50
• Fountain Pens Under $100
• Fountain Pens Under $200

These are some of the best fountain pens in those price ranges that give you the most bang for your buck.

Looking for a fountain pen that is as convenient as a retractable ballpoint pen? There's a fountain pen for that! This selection of retractable nib fountain pens are convenient and just plain cool to play with (especially in long meetings). View List >>

View all of our suggestions and more on our Fountain Pen Guide page at the Goldspot Pens Store.

Fountain pen users - are there other types of fountain pen categories you would recommend for first time writers? Please let us know in the comments section if you feel any categories or pens should also be included in our guide.

Goldspot's Social Lamy Bundle Giveaway

Lucky for you, June's newsletter giveaway prize went unclaimed!

That means everyone with a twitter or facebook account can now enter this giveaway! The odds are certainly now in your favor to win this Lamy Safari Fountain Pen Starter Bundle ($60 retail value).

 Here is How to Enter (no purchase necessary) :

1. Click over to our page on Facebook or Twitter. 
2. Find the link to this giveaway post.  It should be the most recent link.
3. "Like" or Re-Tweet the link.

...and that's it! We'll keep track of all the entries and then choose a fan using a random number generator to select one lucky winner. Deadline for Entries is Tuesday, August 13th at 12p ET.

We will contact the winner directly through either Facebook or Twitter to obtain the shipping information and send out your fountain pen starter kit!

5 Best Beginner Fountain Pens

If you're getting back into the old-fashioned way of writing by using a fountain pen, there is a core curriculum, a "required writing" of pens that every fountain pen enthusiast can start with to re-kindle the love of writing.

Lamy Safari
The Safari is like the marijuana of pens. It's the gateway for many, while others will swear by it and buy every color that comes out, including the new 2011 color, Aquamarine. You can search "Lamy Safari Review" and come up with hundreds of opinions, mostly ones that champion its value (costs under $30). It has a sturdy ABS plastic body, strong wire clip and a stainless steel nib that is interchangeable in a variety of point sizes including extra-fine, fine, medium, broad and calligraphic stub nibs.

Pilot Varsity
The uninitiated writer often fears the maintenance and upkeep of a fountain pen and will never attempt buying one due to the inconvenience. The Pilot Varsity disposable fountain pen gives you the experience of writing with a fountain pen without the bother of upkeep. The multi-pack array (under $15) of colors also gives the writer a taste of what it would be like using a fountain pen and being able to change out the color with every fill.

Pelikan Pelikano
Thankfully, Europeans still carry a torch for teaching penmanship and writing with a fountain pen, especially when it comes to our younger generations. Pelikan (Germany) offers their Pelikano line specifically as a "beginner's" or "school-age" fountain pen. The molded grip design instruct the writer of proper finger positioning. The bright colors used for the plastic barrel and clip are nice for children, but also appealing to adults as well. The "A" nib is considered a beginner nib since it has a larger area at the tip that allows for a variety of hand positions while writing.

Waterman Phileas (discontinued)
Although Waterman has discontinued its famous Phileas pen, I thought it was still worth mentioning since we (Goldspot Pens) do have ample stock of the fountain pens and they happened to be one of the most popular pens in many collections. As you can see by its style, the Phileas is about more than utility, it provides an Art Deco appeal with writing comfort and smoothness. This is a fountain pen for a beginner who desires a classy look and a great, inexpensive writing experience.

Pelikan Tradition Series m205
Last, but not least, another offering from Pelikan that introduces the neo-fountain pen enthusiast to piston-filling, which is the internal, bottle filling system. The other pens mentioned above use cartridge or converter (except for the Varsity), which means you have the option to purchase disposable ink cartridges or use a converter that you can fill with bottled ink. Many people feel that to truly experience a fountain pen, you have to fill it using bottled ink. As we've discussed in a prior article, there are benefits to using bottled ink over cartridges, and the Pelikan m205, m200, m215 series are certainly the best value in the class of piston-filling fountain pens. Extremely smooth stainless steel nib available in an array of nib widths, large ink capacity, great size and weight with the cap posted and reliable piston mechanism make this pen an exceptional value (most models under $100).

When you talk to any one that likes using a fountain pen, they most likely have one of these in their collection. For the more advanced fountain pen user that has moved on to exploring other brands like Sailor, Aurora or Montegrappa, they will still fondly use the pens that started their addiction long ago. Personally, I can attest to having two of these pens on this list and I have one of them inked to write the outline of this post!

If any of these pens started your journey into the wonderful world of fountain pens, please share your experience and drop us a comment. If you have a beginner fountain pen that is not on this list that started your love of writing, please share!